Josh Howard has become a hero of mine over the past few years. I love his artwork and I dig his stories but what really impresses me is what he has managed to accomplish since the debut of his comic, Dead@17, in 2003.

Starting life as a black and white mini-comic produced by Josh and printed at Kinkos, Dead@17 has since become one of the most successful small-press comics published in the last 10 years, spawning two sequels, a prequel and three 48-page specials. And now, hot on the heels of his latest mini-series, Black Harvest from Devil’s Due Publishing, Josh is returning to Dead@17 with a brand-new ongoing series.

And did I mention his other brand-new ongoing series, The Lost Books of Eve? Or the graphic novel he’s drawing for writer Andi Watson and DC/Vertigo? And in between all of these projects, Josh somehow found the time to sit down for a little Q&A with Ye Ole Stumblebum Studios!

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Paul Milligan: You’ve got two bi-monthly ongoing series coming out from Viper this fall. One, the new Dead@17 series, debuts in September and the other, The Lost Books of Eve, hits in November. What made you want to tackle these two books at the same time?

Josh Howard: I thought it was the right time to finally launch the Dead ongoing series, but I didn't want to be limited to be doing only that for an indefinite amount of time. I have all these other books I want to do, so this seemed like the best option.

Paul: The original Dead@17 trilogy seemed to wrap things up pretty tightly as far as the characters in the book were concerned. What’s the new Dead@17 ongoing about?

Josh: It's about a new cast of characters, mainly a girl named Asia Black and the trials she will face being the newest member of the undead. One of the unique things about Asia, as opposed to Nara, is that she doesn't know she even died. It brings a little bit different element to the story.

The original trilogy was a pretty complete story, but there are a few loose here and there that are going to come into play, and it will become more and more clear that the evil that Nara went up against was only the opening salvo of a much larger war.

Paul: Was it always your plan to revisit Darlington Hills with new characters?

Josh: About the time I was working on Revolution, I began thinking that there might be some real potential to keep telling stories in this world. I didn't want to take away from Nara's story and cheapen it, so the best option seemed to be to introduce some new people.

Paul: The Lost Books of Eve looks very interesting. What is that series about and how did it develop?

Josh: The series is about, in the simplest of terms, Eve's search for Adam. Shortly after Eve's debut to the world, Adam is abducted. But by who and why is a mystery. Eve must venture outside the safety of the Garden of Eden into the chaos that is planet Earth to try and find her husband, or the human race will never get off the ground.

The idea developed when I was looking for a new and unique way of telling a really wild and unpredictable fantasy/adventure type series. I was thinking of using a famous literary character in the public domain, like Alice in Wonderland or Dorothy of Oz. But those had been done so much, so I kept looking, and ended up going all the way back to the beginning. And lucky for me, Eve had been relatively untouched.

Paul: One of the main themes of Dead@17 was faith. How big an influence does your own faith have on your other comics and your art in general?

Josh: It has a pretty big influence I would say. I don't think I can ignore it. But I try to have fun first and foremost. That's what comics are all about. But I think no matter what a person's worldview happens to be, whether it be belief in God or atheism or whatever, those beliefs will always inform the work a person produces, whether they are conscious of it are not. Sometimes it's subtle, sometimes it's not. As long as it doesn't get in the way of a good story, I don't think it should be an issue.

Paul: The packaging and design of your books has been some of the most interesting and eye-catching I’ve seen in on the racks. How much of the design work do you do yourself and how involved are you with that process?

Josh: Thanks. It's a very conscious thing. I work hand in hand with Viper's art director, who is a graphic designer by trade. It's a collaboration in the purest sense. We try to come up with a theme or general look to each series and make sure it's bold, interesting, or just stands out from all the rest. The thing I've always hated about going into the comic store was how the racks just looked like absolute clutter. Nothing stood out. Every cover was fight scene after fight scene. You look at a magazine rack or go into a book store or music store and everyone is competing to catch your eye.

Paul: Your upcoming graphic novel for DC Comics, written by Andi Watson, is somewhat shrouded in secrecy at the moment. I won’t ask you to give anything away but how did you become involved with that project?

Josh: A little over two years ago, just as Blood of Saints was hitting stores, I got a call from an editor at DC/Vertigo about pitching some ideas. I did, one got picked up, and I worked on it for quite a while before it died in editorial hell. I thought that was the end and went on my way. Then they called me up a few months later and told me they had another project that died because it lacked an artist, so they paired us up and the rest is history.

Paul: For the most part you’ve been the writer, penciller, inker and colorist on all of your books. What’s it like working from someone else’s script for this book?

Josh: It's definitely a different experience. The most difficult part isn't someone else's script, but dealing with editorial. Going from calling all my own shots to having 3-4 different people tell me what to do, and they all have different opinions, is a little jarring. But, despite one of my books dying a slow, painful death, I have a great relationship with my editors at DC and really enjoy the support system I have over there. But given the choice, I definitely prefer "going it alone."

Paul: Are you looking forward to working on more comics for either of the Big Two or are you more interested in continuing to work on your own projects? Which is more satisfying?

Josh: Like I was saying, my own work is infinitely more satisfying. I don't sit around dreaming of working for the big two or thinking about what books I'd like to take on. I'm happy doing my own thing. But there are benefits of working with them, mainly the exposure and the financial security. If DC continues to have work for me, I'll continue to take it, as long as it doesn't interfere with my other stuff.

Paul: What do you think the companies and people working in the industry could be doing to help the growth of comics?

Josh: Ideally, I would like to see big name creators walk away and do their own thing or I would like to see Marvel and DC to take more chances and publish things besides superheroes. But neither one of those things are likely to happen because creators like the money they get paid and Marvel and DC like the money they make. And I don't fault either party for that. However, I think there's a lot more money to be made off of audiences that are going largely un-served.

Paul: My roommate is a big fan of the Transformers and was extremely excited about the upcoming adaptation by Michael Bay, but after seeing some of the character designs and style choices for the film his enthusiasm has dropped quite a bit. As an admittedly huge fan of the robots in disguise yourself what’s your take on the film and the info that’s been leaked about it?

Josh: Yeah, I'm a pretty big fan, not just of the original stuff but also Beast Wars, Beast Machines, and all the new stuff, so I'm used to seeing changes made to the characters. Honestly, I was really hoping for a look closer to G1, and the new designs took some getting used to, but they really don't bother me now. In fact, I'm pretty excited to see what they do with it. The only thing really that bugs me is that there's no humanity in any of the faces now.

Paul: You’re also a Star Trek fan, right? I’ll admit that I am too. A pretty big one. So obviously I have to ask you – Kirk or Picard? Man, that may just be the geekiest interview question I’ve ever asked.

Josh: Great question. And the answer is neither…give me Sisko any day.

Paul: And finally, I try to ask this in all my interviews (all 2 of them) - Is there a question you’ve always hoped to be asked in an interview that you’ve never been asked? †What is the question and more importantly, what’s the answer?

Josh: It's funny you brought up Star Trek. I don't think anyone has ever asked me what my dream project would be. I'd love to do an animated style Star Trek comic. That would be the dream.

Paul: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Josh. I’m really looking forward to reading the new books.

You can find out more about Josh Howard at his official website, www.joshhoward.net.
And visit Viper Comics online at www.vipercomics.com for more information on Dead@17 and
The Lost Books of Eve.